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Fisheries Management Plan - Assignment | BIOL 432, Assignments of Biology

Material Type: Assignment; Professor: Steinhart; Class: Fisheries Management; Subject: Biology; University: Lake Superior State University; Term: Unknown 1989;

Typology: Assignments

Pre 2010

Uploaded on 08/07/2009

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Fisheries Management Plan Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to develop a management plan for that fishery that will direct
activities for the next ten years. A fishery management plan falls into three major tasks. First, you will
design and lead the sampling on a water body. Second, you will analyze the data you collect,
including performing a number of statistical and fisheries related quantitative analyses. This includes
reviewing the literature to find possible problems and actions. Third, you will develop your
management plan, which you will present orally during a stake-holder meeting and in a written report.
You will be assigned to a team of 3-4 students. Your team will be assigned a particular lake or river
we are sampling this fall. The team will work together in preparing for sampling, data analysis, and
developing a management plan, and presenting the plan to the class. Be sure to listen to your team!
Some people might have different ideas, and all might be correct. Team members should explore all
options, with some members playing “Devil’s Advocate” to consider all possibilities.
General procedure
Sampling:
You will be assigned to a group and each group will be responsible for a water body.
With my help, you will design a sampling protocol and determine what equipment in required.
You will be responsible for obtaining all the equipment and getting it ready for our field trip.
In addition, you will be required to clean and return all equipment when sampling is finished.
You will be in charge of the sampling. Watch and make sure you think it is being done correctly!
Data analysis:
Your team will enter all the data into an Excel spreadsheet. You must follow the format provided
in the spreadsheet. You can sub-divide the data so each person enters only a portion, but you will
need to put it all together into one file in the end.
You should generate data summaries, trends, graphs, and statistics documenting the change (or lack
of change) in the lake. Play around with the data – make lots of graphs to help you find interesting
trends. Making graphs also is a good way to find errors in the data – look for outliers.
Make sure to use appropriate statistics and metrics from class (e.g., mortality, comparison with
statewide averages, predator to prey ratios, etc.)!
Find out what you can about your water body: look at topo maps (topozone.com) and/or aerial
photography (e.g., maps.google.com) to characterize the surroundings of the water body.
The plan:
Decide on your management objectives, considering all users and what is realistic. This is where
you may discuss things as a group, but different people might have different ideas.
As a group, you will give an oral presentation (25 pts.) of your plan in a mock stakeholder meeting.
Individually, you will write a draft management report (25 pts.) that will be peer reviewed (25 pts.)
before the final version is submitted (100 pts.).
In total, this assignment is worth ~20% of your grade for the class. Take the assignment seriously
and do a complete and thoughtful job on your management plan. I cannot emphasize the
importance of following format instructions and including statistics and metrics discussed in your
book and in class.
The management report
Your report must be at least 5 pages of text (more likely it will be longer), double-spaced, in 12 pt.
times or times new roman, with 1” margins. A title page (optional), figures, tables, and literature
cited do not count toward the total page count.
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Fisheries Management Plan Assignment The purpose of this assignment is to develop a management plan for that fishery that will direct activities for the next ten years. A fishery management plan falls into three major tasks. First, you will design and lead the sampling on a water body. Second, you will analyze the data you collect, including performing a number of statistical and fisheries related quantitative analyses. This includes reviewing the literature to find possible problems and actions. Third, you will develop your management plan, which you will present orally during a stake-holder meeting and in a written report. You will be assigned to a team of 3-4 students. Your team will be assigned a particular lake or river we are sampling this fall. The team will work together in preparing for sampling, data analysis, and developing a management plan, and presenting the plan to the class. Be sure to listen to your team! Some people might have different ideas, and all might be correct. Team members should explore all options, with some members playing “Devil’s Advocate” to consider all possibilities. General procedure Sampling:

  • You will be assigned to a group and each group will be responsible for a water body.
  • With my help, you will design a sampling protocol and determine what equipment in required. You will be responsible for obtaining all the equipment and getting it ready for our field trip.
  • In addition, you will be required to clean and return all equipment when sampling is finished.
  • You will be in charge of the sampling. Watch and make sure you think it is being done correctly! Data analysis:
  • Your team will enter all the data into an Excel spreadsheet. You must follow the format provided in the spreadsheet. You can sub-divide the data so each person enters only a portion, but you will need to put it all together into one file in the end.
  • You should generate data summaries, trends, graphs, and statistics documenting the change (or lack of change) in the lake. Play around with the data – make lots of graphs to help you find interesting trends. Making graphs also is a good way to find errors in the data – look for outliers.
  • Make sure to use appropriate statistics and metrics from class (e.g., mortality, comparison with statewide averages, predator to prey ratios, etc.)!
  • Find out what you can about your water body: look at topo maps (topozone.com) and/or aerial photography (e.g., maps.google.com) to characterize the surroundings of the water body. The plan:
  • Decide on your management objectives, considering all users and what is realistic. This is where you may discuss things as a group, but different people might have different ideas.
  • As a group, you will give an oral presentation (25 pts.) of your plan in a mock stakeholder meeting.
  • Individually, you will write a draft management report (25 pts.) that will be peer reviewed (25 pts.) before the final version is submitted (100 pts.).
  • In total, this assignment is worth ~20% of your grade for the class. Take the assignment seriously and do a complete and thoughtful job on your management plan. I cannot emphasize the importance of following format instructions and including statistics and metrics discussed in your book and in class. The management report
  • Your report must be at least 5 pages of text (more likely it will be longer), double-spaced, in 12 pt. times or times new roman, with 1” margins. A title page (optional), figures, tables, and literature cited do not count toward the total page count.
  • You must include at least five peer-review references in your paper. No web references! Agency reports may be cited, but they do not count towards your five references. Look for papers about the problem in your lake (e.g., introduced predators), potential solutions (e.g., liming), or the requirements for the species you are managing for (e.g., habitat requirements).
  • You MUST have at least TWO unique references from your teammates.
  • See the guide to authors for Transactions of the American Fisheries Society for correct formatting of citations, references, and various abbreviations. It is posted on my web site.
  • DO NOT use English units. Convert everything to metric (unless you mention a length limit, in which case you should use both English and metric units). You paper must include these sections (sections in italics, with descriptions in regular text): a) Goal - a long-range vision of the future management goals for the water body. b) Analysis of Resources – physical, chemical, biological, and social attributes c) Diagnosis of Problems and of Potentials – identify the problems and present potential solutions d) Management Objectives and Actions i) Set quantifiable objectives (i.e., what value or range are you shooting for?). ii) Each objective should relate to a resource problem identified in the previous step. iii) Prescribe one or more management actions to achieve each objective. e) Evaluation and maintenance i) Describe how will you assess the success of your actions ii) Include any plans for revisions or additional actions f) Management Timeline – brief summary of the timing of actions, evaluation, and maintenance – can use figures and/or text. g) Resources required – briefly describe the needs for effort and resources h) Literature cited Your management report will be graded on format, grammar, and clarity (30 pts.), following the management process and making logical recommendations (30 pts.), and using data to support your plan (40 pts.). Tables and figures
  • Tables and Figures must come at the end of the text and should be referred to by number (Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, etc.). DO NOT embed figures or tables in the text!
  • DO NOT use color in your figures.
  • Label all axes with a suitable title, including units of measurement (where appropriate).
  • Include a descriptive caption with each table or figure. DO NOT write a caption like: “Figure showing the number of largemouth bass.” Instead, the caption should read “Figure 1. Largemouth bass abundance in Mud Lake, Luce County, Michigan, from 1985-1992.”
  • If you use abbreviations in the table or figure, make sure to explain them in the caption. Draft report and peer review
  • If you follow the format and make a reasonable effort, you should earn all the points.
  • Each student will review another students draft management report. You will be graded on how thorough your peer review is regarding spelling, grammar, format, and content. You should offer constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement.
  • The peer review form MUST be turned in with your final or you and the reviewer will lose 25 pts.
  • I also will review the drafts, but for content more than grammar or spelling.
  • See the peer review form to get an idea of what a peer reviewer should look for (i.e., what your report should contain).